The Utah Mammoth today announced that the National Hockey League has named goaltender Karel Vejmelka the NHL’s Third Star for the week ending Feb. 5. This marks his second such honor this season, after previously being named Third Star for the week ending Jan. 18.
Vejmelka, 29, posted a 2-0-0 record, 1.51 goals-against average (GAA) and .944 save percentage (SV%) in two starts for Utah last week, as the team entered the NHL’s Olympic break with back-to-back wins. He posted a 21-save performance against Vancouver on Monday and stopped 29 of 30 shots faced against Detroit on Wednesday, holding the Red Wings scoreless through the opening 55:52 of regulation. Vejmelka’s latest appearance marked his 27th win in 2025-26, as he established a new single-season career high in that category and topped his 58-game total from Utah’s inaugural campaign (26-22-8).
The 6-foot-4, 221-pound goaltender has registered a 27-14-2 record with the Mammoth this season, and he ranks tied for the league lead in both wins and games played (44). Vejmelka has earned a 9-1-0 record, 2.10 GAA, and .922 SV% at the Delta Center since Dec. 21, and his 16 total wins on home ice in 2025-26 are also tied for the most of any NHL goaltender.
A native of Třebíč, Czechia, Vejmelka is three wins shy of becoming just the sixth different Czech goaltender to record 30 or more wins in a single NHL season and joining a list that includes teammate Vítek Vaněček (33 with New Jersey in 2022-23). Earlier this season, Vejmelka also became just the second Czech netminder to pace the entire NHL to 20 wins. He will soon represent Czechia at the Winter Olympics for the first time in his career.
Vejmelka is one of four players in franchise history to be named one of the NHL’s Stars of the Week, and he has become the first Mammoth player to receive multiple such honors, both of which have come over the last three weeks. This also marks the second such recognition of his NHL career. Vejmelka is joined by Matt Boldy (Minnesota) and Bo Horvat (New York Islanders) for the week ending Feb. 5.
Utah Mammoth, NHL Stars of the Week:
Oct. 14, 2024 – Dylan Guenther, First Star
Jan. 27, 2025 – Barrett Hayton, Third Star
Oct. 27, 2025 – Logan Cooley, Second Star
Jan. 19, 2026 – Karel Vejmelka, Third Star
Feb. 6, 2026 – Karel Vejmelka, Third Star
